Czech Position: Presidential candidate Dlouhý leaves Goldman Sachs

Prague, Aug 6 (CTK) - Czech presidential candidate Vladimir Dlouhy will end his engagement with the U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs that he started in 1997 as from end-October and he is also going to leave the Telefonica Czech Republic supervisory council, has has told Ceska pozice server.

"I will also terminate all other positions in the private sector," economist Dlouhy, 59, industry and trade minister in the 1990s, said.

He told the server that large investment banks are not perceived so negatively in the Czech Republic like in the United States.

"Besides, I have never been an executive banker, but a member of a group of international advisers. My colleagues were people who now hold prestigious positions in European executives, such as Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, European Central Bank (ECB) governor Mario Draghi and others," Dlouhy told the server.

He was elected a member of the Telefonica Czech Republic in February last year. He receives about 40,000 crowns per month for the post, the server writes.

Some ten people have joined the contest for the presidential position as yet according to the continuous data.

According to public opinion polls, the biggest favourites are former caretaker prime minister Jan Fischer, former prime minister and former Social Democrat chairman Milos Zeman, now honorary chairman of the Citizens' Rights Party of Milos Zeman (SPOZ), and economist Jan Svejnar, who has not yet decided whether he will be running in the elections, however.

Czechs will elect their president for the first time early next year. Until now the presidents have been elected by the two houses of parliament.

The new president will replace Vaclav Klaus whose second presidential term expires next March.

($1=20.639 crowns)